Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies 2)

It is said to surround yourself with people who have dreams, desires, and ambition, for they’ll be the ones to help push you to realize your own.

For the last year, I have gone on the very difficult and trying journey of weight loss. The only reason I have even gotten to where I am is because of the friends I surround myself with, along with my loving and amazing husband. Love you, Mr. Aleo. And to my best friend, love you, Bobbie!!

I am blessed and very thankful that the good Lord above has given me the following women, so this book is for my gym unicorns (we aren’t rats):

Nortis, Kristen, Beth, Angela, Jess, Becca, Jacki, Kiki, Lenise, Stephanie S., Stephanie M., & Suzanne.

This book is about fighting for your dreams and believing in yourself. Because of these women, I fight every day to be a healthier me for my family. And I believe in myself because they believe in me.

So thank you, ladies.

I love you.

“Bro, look! Those girls look like they are DTF!”

Glancing over at my little brother as I dig my toes into the sand, I roll my eyes. Surely I just heard him wrong because who says DTF anymore? The sun is warming my face, and I really don’t want to process my moronic brother’s exclamation. But he’s smacking me to get my attention, not allowing me to soak in the rays like I want. I’m supposed to be on vacation. Relaxing. But instead, my brother is driving me insane.

“Jayden, look.”

“Jace, I know you did not just say that. Who says that anymore?” I ask, but when I look up at him, I know I didn’t hear him wrong. Standing a little shorter than my six-foot-three frame, his light brown hair is flapping in the wind, and for some reason, I can hear my mom saying he needs a haircut. He does—we all probably do—but according to Jace, he’s going for that carefree, surfer look. Dork. His shorts are hanging low in a way he assumes will attract some girls, and as he licks his lips toward the group of girls that are giggling as they check him out, he’s rubbing some lotion with that hungry, horny teenage look in his eyes.

Douche canoe.

“Everyone does! Shut up and get up. Let’s go get some tail since Jude can’t,” he says, running the lotion along his belly button. I guess he won’t burn there; everywhere else is fair game though.

Is it wrong that I hope he does burn?

Looking over at my older brother Jude, I glare. I blame Jace’s stupidity on him. I’m a smart, respectful guy, not a horndog, but Jude was the epitome of a horndog before Claire came along. Now, he’s so far up her ass, it’s kinda gross. But then again, what do I expect? They are made for each other. Two peas in a pod, and I have to admit, she’s great. She’s back in Nevada, rocking the socks of Vegas folks with her awesome burlesque show, and she does make my brother happy. So of course, I love her. She is good for him, but still their relationship is so sticky sweet that it causes us mere humans to gag.

As I watch him text on his phone—to Claire, of course—I can’t help but shake my head. So much for this “guys” trip that he planned for us. It’s probably our last chance to hang out together since he is about to start in the NHL and propose to Claire—as soon as her uncle agrees to it—and Jace and I are about to go back to school. This trip has consisted of Jace and me hanging out, which really means I listen to Jace want to fuck every single girl on the beach while Jude sits on his phone.

Texting her.

It’s pitiful.

But I have to admit, I’m impressed by the battery life of his phone.

I punch him in the shoulder, and Jude jumps before glancing over at me, but he’s still looking at his phone as he types. “What?”

Ever the multitasker.

“Your younger brother is turning into a douche. He gets that shit from you,” I inform him, and I hate how irritated I am with Jace. He’s a kid, I should let it go, but man, he reminds me so much of my dad that it honestly sets my teeth on edge.

When Jude’s brows come together, he looks over at me as his phone falls into his lap. We favor each other a lot more than we do Jace. He looks more like our older sister Lucy, with the same soft features. We’ve made fun of Jace for years for looking like a girl, but he’s starting to harden out. We don’t tell him that though. Jude and I look like men, and we could pass for twins, both with thick jaws and strong shoulders, the only difference being our hair. While his is a light brown, mine is dark, but all of us still have the green eyes that run in our family.

We are basically some sexy mofos, in my opinion.

“How does he get that from me? I’m not a douche.”

“You used to be,” I challenge, and he grins a half-crooked grin before shrugging.

“He’ll grow out of it.”

Rolling my eyes, I say, “Not everyone finds a Claire.”

His grin grows more. “Yeah, but there is someone for everyone, and when he finds her, she’ll calm him down.”

“I hope so,” I say, letting out a breath. “He’s getting on my nerves with his cocky attitude.”

“I’m right here,” Jace complains, but I just stare at him.

“Good, stop being a douche.”

“Whatever… Hey, girl!” he says, completely ignoring me to holler at some female.

Jude laughs as he takes a pull of his Coke. Looking at him, I point my thumb at Jace and say, “See?”

“He’s a kid, and so are you. Go do the same thing,” he says in a way that makes me want to punch him. He acts all superior to me, and I want to call him on his bullshit. I am more mature than he and Jace put together. He tries to act like the older brother, but we all know that it goes, mentally, at least: Lucy, me, Jude, and then Jace.

Ignoring that, I say, “I’m not a douche.”

“What makes chasing girls douchey?”

“He said that a group of girls is DTF.”

Scrunching his nose, he asks, “People still say that?”

“Apparently,” I say, leaning back in my chair. “He’s killing me.”

“Whatever, you’re just mad I have more game than you’ll ever have,” Jace says, hopping on the balls of his feet as he punches the air. “I got her number. Oh and hello, I’m about to go pull all three of these beauties over here.”